Elaine Jones of East Hampton Dies September 18

An indefatigable champion of the working people and formidable presence on the East Hampton Town political scene for decades, Elaine Jones died after a lengthy illness on September 18, surrounded by family in the Amagansett home where she’d lived all her life. She was 82.

Born Elaine Carol Semb on October 15, 1942, she was the daughter of Eric Andrew and Clara (Dellapolla) Semb. She graduated from Amagansett School and East Hampton High School, where she met her husband, Leslie Jones. He carried her yearbook picture in his wallet for the over 40 years of their marriage. He predeceased her in 2004.

Known in the community for her passion for politics, at home she was admired for her skills in the kitchen and devotion to family. She passed a generation of family recipes on to her family and won a panoply of first place ribbons from the Riverhead County Fair for her jams, breads and fruit pies.

When her 11-year-old daughter Vicki decided she wanted to sell string beans at a roadside stand, she was right there with support and encouragement. Finishing up its 44th summer, it’s still a popular local shopping experience.

The Amagansett neighborhood Jones called home was filled with generations of close family and friends. She opened her door to neighborhood kids and many of them considered her house a second home. Rare was the person who left Jone’s home empty-handed. She’d load friends up with zucchini bread or cookies, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, or a dozen ears of corn — none of her friends were allowed to pay.

As a political activist, Jones worked to maintain East Hampton’s sense of place for the local community. Described by family members as a good and prolific writer, she penned frequent letters to the East Hampton Star offering her opinions on a variety of local and national issues. Jones was proud to be one of the first members of the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee.

Chair of the Independence Party for 30 years, Jones supported candidates from both sides of the aisle who shared her vision for the community. She worked on Perry Duryea’s run for New York governor in 1978. Former East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell remembered Jones arriving at Town Hall with an apple pie on his first day in office. “We didn’t always agree, but when Elaine loved you, it was forever,” he said this week.

In addition to her parents and husband, Jones was predeceased by her brothers, Andrew Semb and Richard Semb, and sister-in-law Pat Shaw. She is survived by her family, including her children, Angela Sullivan and her husband, Tom Sullivan, Vicki Littman and her husband, treasured son-in-law Tony Littman, and Leslie T. Jones; as well as her grandchildren Michael Jones, Ryan Sullivan, Chelsea Jones, Grady Sullivan, Rose Littman, and Maria Littman; her brother-in-law Gene Shaw and his daughter, Tiffany Tuthill, whom she regarded as a third daughter.

Beyond her immediate family, she is survived by her great-grandchildren, Hayden Jones and Hadley Jones; and her niece Regina Lynch; along with an array of community members who considered her family.

A wake will be held at Yardley & Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton on Tuesday, September 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. On Wednesday, September 24, a service will take place at 11 a.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton, followed by interment at Cedar Lawn Cemetery and a reception at the Amagansett Fire Department.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Amagansett Fire Department, PO Box 911, Amagansett 11930 or the East Hampton Food Pantry, PO Box 505, East Hampton, 11937.